Romney by process of elimination

So I have to be honest, I didn't come to be a Romney supporter right out of the gate, I was converted, though not by your traditional means; every other candidate has schmuckified themselves leaving the only respectable choice as Romney and thus my conversion. Let me walk you through my logic, and if you disagree, by all means, lets talk about it.

The crowd of potential republican nominees is thick with good politicians made pathetic by presidential aspirations. The ones that had enough of a following to get consideration are Thompson, McCain, Huckabee, Gulianni, and by sheer ignorance of the internet, Ron Paul.

When the race started, I was a Gulianni supporter, I had high hopes for the fella. He has a smooth demeanor about him, he handled the pressures of 9/11 well, and most emphatic was his popular momentum. He was the name on the ticket if you had a heart and wanted someone who knew what they were doing. So what happened? Gulianni pulled out all his stops too early. He had enough ammo to get us all excited, then nothing to sustain his momentum. There was no character to back up his ideas, and since his ideas aren't revolutionary enough to carry his platform on their own, he just looks like a schmuck when the proverbial poop hits the fan. He's the mayor with no federal level experience to give clout to his ambitions, just a lot of people who gave credit where credit was claimed and not necessarily earned.

Then Thompson. I like Thompson. I liked him because I saw him in a movie about nuclear terrorism and the US being attacked by middle eastern terrorists who get these bombs and smuggle one in through the Canadian border. See, Thompson recognizes the power of "The Friendly Neighbor to the North" and dang straight, we hold yer fate in our hands... well, that's what I remember from the movie anyway. So Thompson plays the president in this flick and has a kind of West Wing flair to him that played to his favor when I found out the ole Arizonan was gonna try and take his Hollywood role to reality. So what happened? Hollywood lied to Thompson. In the debates, it almost seems like Thompson is considering policy questions for the first time. He is yet to have his feet put to the fire and as such, he has been able to wing it as he goes. The problem with that is that is simply insufficient. He realized he could be a "real life president for realses" a little bit too late. I'd like to see him run again, but only when he wants it a bit more and has thought out what he would actually do with a term as president. More on this when we get to Ron Paul. Though to Thompson's credit, there's no video of him in drag smothering his face in another draq queens bosoms *cough* Gulianni *cough*.

McCain I've never been able to fully appreciate. He is the Ross Perot of the modern era. How many times did Ross run, like three? Welcome back McCain, it's good to have back for another try at it. Lets refresh on Perot, brilliant platform, could have taken care of our national debt, probably with his own investments, and would stare incredulously as he would lose time and time again to inferior plans, platforms, and policy. He lost cause he could never be a president, he was just a guy with good ideas. Not a leader. Not someone America could ever follow as a commander and chief... enters McCain. The guy has good ideas, probably right up there so far as qualifications go, and has stared, or screamed when in Iowa, as he loses to guys who may be inferior in many ways. He will never be president because he's not a leader, America could never follow him as commander and chief, the guy is too unpredictable. McCain, fella, your a great guy, but your brand loses value every time you run and don't win, and like the hot chick to the geek in high school, we all say to you... It's never gonna work, it's not you, it's us... all of us, everyone McCain... not gonna happen. Please stop waiting for me outside the gym, you're creeping me out.

Huckabee. ahem. Where to begin. Now honestly, Huckabee isn't half bad, he's a pastor for crying outloud, and in case you hadn't heard give him a 30 second spot, he'll work it in somehow, like

Moderator: Huckabee, what's your stance on foreign policy
Huckabee: Well when I was a pastor Jesus said to do it like this... Anybody want to contradict Jesus?

That's paraphrased, sadly it's only modified slightly. He's in a Gulianni situation right now though, only he lacked any 9/11 catalyst to give him real merit. I don't know why he has such a huge following, but again, flash in the pan syndrome. He doens't know where to go from here. When you're at the top, you have to be able to pull something off to keep momentum. To his credit I think he's genuinely surprised he's even contending. When you listen to his speech rhetoric it goes from an "if I ever were to be president" to "when I become president" The fact that it's only after he gets a following in Iowa that he begins to invest in a real staff that underlines the unexpected nature of Huckabee's appearance. Indicative of this will be his shining moment [passed] and then supernova self destruction [McCain again?]

Finally, Ron Paul. Ron Paul is hearted by youngsters everywhere. I think Ron Paul is what Perot wishes he had been able to become, a cult classic. He has a huge following on the internet because of his strict adherence to the constitution. It's a simplistic approach in my mind that takes no consideration for real issues and scenarios that require one to apply the constitution to real situations and not just read it and hope everyone will interpret it the same as you. Ron Paul, in all fairness, is probably one of the best candidates out there, but he doesn't know how to play the game. There's more to running a country than good ideas. The ability to bring rubber and asphalt together and make things move cannot be underestimated, and unfortunately in a Ron Paul scenario, his rose will never bloom, poor fella.

Then you look at Mitt, who isn't perfect by any stretch, but he's got real experience, has yet to make a buffoon of himself, and good ideas that build on each other. He not only has proven capable of sustaining himself while on top, but look at him after being knocked back in Iowa, there's no hiccup in his stride, the man has real substance. Flaws acknowledged, there is no better option.

Now since seeing the light o' Romney, I've found much more reason to sing praises to the man, turns out he's great, but that's for another post. Or the reasons to vote for mitt series. My personal favorite is number 11,021,419 I love that one.